College campuses bring tests, papers, projects, parties, friends, and relationships; but mental illness and emotional turmoil often accompany classic college activities. Depression, anxiety, mood disorders, eating disorders, substance abuse, and social phobias plague thousands of college c0eds. Mental health issues continue to increase across college campuses in the United States. The National College Health Assessment, conducted in spring of 2000, found that 10% of all students surveyed had been diagnosed with depression during the school year. Depression is currently the most common mental illness on college campuses.

Mental illnesses commonly cripple college students, because these disorders often manifest during young adulthood. The pressures of school, life altering decisions, stressful environments, and new situations can trigger biological changes that lead to mental disorders. Approximately 27% of young adults between 18 and 24 suffer from a diagnosed mental illness. This does not include the thousands of college students who suffer from mental illness without a medical diagnosis. Mental disorders are serious illnesses, but with counseling, medication, and coping skills students can conquer depression, anxiety, social phobias, eating disorders, and more.